Construction of Split Identity: Conditions and Consequences of Independent Migration for Young Women

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a notable increase in independent geographical mobility and migration among women, coinciding with changes in the status and role of women. Particularly from the standpoint of migrant women, the extent and repercussions of this phenomenon remain obscure. The purpose of this study is to understand the causes and effects of young women’s independent migration. The research was carried out utilizing a qualitative methodology. By means of semi-structured interviews, information was gathered from eighteen young women who migrated to Yazd on their own. Participants were selected using methods of purposfull-snowball sampling. Grounded theory coding were utilized to analyze the data. The analysis yielded seven primary themes, of which one was identified as the central theme. Preference for estrangement, housing constraints, job/financial security, independence, social distancing from the host community, misalignment, and familial pressure and control are the major themes. Additionally, a dual-identity construction was recognized as a pivotal motif. The results suggest that individuals develop a dual identity as a result of the mixture of an uncertain upbringing at home and a complex existence at the destination. Although they migrate in response to pressures and restrictions from their country of origin, acclimatization and life in their country of origin present obstacles. Due to their encounter with novel circumstances, they develop a dual identity.

Keywords

• girls
• women
• migration
• independent migration
• identity